Sunday, January 20, 2008

Kristen Fitzgerald said she plans to use only her left earbud during thehalf-marathon in Carlsbad. Tomorrow morning, as thousands of runners grindtheir way through the Carlsbad Marathon, Darrell Gordon will hustle to the tunesof Dire Straits and The Beatles – in blatant disregard of race rules banningheadphones and portable music players.Runners in races from Carlsbad to New York City are being urged to leave their iPods at home for the sake of their own safety. Bruce Springsteen and U2 may distract runners and make them unaware of those trying to pass them, including fellow marathoners and ambulances carrying injured racers, the thinking goes.IPods and other players also could provide some runners with an unfair competitive edge.The ban, passed in December 2006 by USA Track & Field, the sport's governing body, has sparked a national debate among runners that far surpasses the typical disputes over the best shoes or carbohydrate-loaded gel packs.Unlike most road-race rules, which are written to regulate elite athletes, this one has the biggest impact on the masses, the recreational runners who rely on music to carry them through the race.

“I always run listening to music,” said Gordon, a 57-year-old from Solana Beach who will be racing in the half-marathon tomorrow. “It relieves the boredom of running, and there's a little psychological effect. When I'm listening to music, I don't hear my heavy breathing, so I don't think about getting tired.”

Some racing purists, however, have heaved a collective sigh of relief over the rule. They say races are meant to be absorbed, from the cheering crowds to the sign-toting kids. Where else can one be part of a sea of people, bounding down the street, all working toward the same goal? “I don't believe running and iPods should go together,” said Greg White, 49, a 48-time marathoner who organizes one of the larger running groups in San Diego. “Running is a very social sport. When you're with friends, you should enjoy being with them.”

Race directors appear similarly split over the issue and have wrestled with whether, and how, to enforce the year-old ban. Carlsbad Marathon race director Lynn Flanagan has decided simply to announce the rule at the starting line, but not disqualify or penalize runners who ignore it. In years past, runners were discouraged from wearing headphones, but the message was often ignored.

“It's virtually impossible to enforce,” Flanagan said,adding that nearly 10,000 runners are registered for the marathon andhalf-marathon. “We'd have to depend on volunteers to look out for theheadphones, and that would distract them from their other duties. It couldbecome a sticky situation.”Race officials elsewhere have taken a more stringent approach. At Grandma's Marathon and half-marathon last year in Duluth, Minn., organizers confiscated two MP3 players at the starting line and mailed them to their owners after the race. Thirty renegade runners spotted with MP3 players were disqualified.“To the race directors who say it's not enforceable, we enforced it and we feel we did a good job doing it,” said Bob Gustafson, public-relations director for Grandma's. “Thirty people broke the rule out of 17,000.”Other organizers have decided to flout the ban.Coordinators of the Portland Marathon, held in October, have issued an“MP3-friendly” policy. The marathon course is closed to cars, bikes, skateboardsand dogs, so MP3 users will be safe if they use common sense, organizers said.Similarly, organizers of San Diego's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in June say theywill not discourage the use of portable music players.“This is what our participants do and want,” said Tracy Sundlun, executive vice president of Elite Racing. “We have to take our sport to the people. As long as it's not presenting a health or safety hazard, we try to create a marvelous environment for them.” Technically, the headphone ban applies to the 4,000 road races sanctioned by USA Track & Field, which include all major marathons, spokeswoman Jill Geersaid. But she added that race directors have discretion over whether theyenforce the rule, which can be difficult at large events. The ban wasimplemented as a precaution against injuries and lawsuits, and is not based onstatistics for headphone-related accidents, Geer said. The hope is to avoid adangerous confluence of trends: The ranks of American runners have swelledbeyond 30 million, and MP3 players have become ubiquitous as the size and costof the devices shrink. Another concern is unfair advantage, said JohnBlackburn, the organization's rules committee chairman. Some serious andrecreational runners play songs to calibrate their strides or to providefeedback on their times. Lance Armstrong reportedly used an iPod and shoesensors to hear pace information in the New York City Marathon.Music also can help runners' performance. A 2002 study by the U.S. Sports Academy showed that runners shaved their times by 5 percent to 9 percent when listening totechno music, compared with silence. “If you're able to select the style ofmusic you listen to, it can give you an edge,” said Fred Cromartie, chairman ofuniversity's sports management department and co-author of the study. “It canmake you do a little more than what you thought you could do.”USATF officials acknowledge that the ban has been controversial, and members are set to re-evaluate it later this year at their annual meeting. As long as therule stays on the books, enforcement will be a challenge. In Motion Fitcoach Katie Johnson, who has trained about 500 runners for the CarlsbadMarathon, estimates that at least half the group uses iPods.“I'm not a proponent (of listening to iPods while running) because it's a safety issue,”said Johnson, who has competed in five marathons and earned a degree inkinesiology from UCLA. “If you have something in your ears, you aren't going tohear people or cars that might run into you.” Kristen Fitzgerald, a43-year-old Carlsbad homemaker, has worked out a compromise for tomorrow'shalf-marathon. She plans to use only her left earbud. If her heels startdragging, which sometimes happens at mile 10, she will put on her favoriterunning song, Ace of Base's “Beautiful Life.”“It just makes me happy and makes me want to sing,” Fitzgerald said. “And I will sing.” Softly enough, though, to hear runners trying to pass.

Marcia Manna covers North County community news, arts and entertainment for the Union-Tribune.

Let's face it. I run alone. It gets boring. Listening to my body is something that I can do with the headphones on.

January 20, 2001Alan Webb, an 18-year-old senior at South Lakes High School in Reston, VA,runs the first-ever sub-4:00 indoor mile by a high school boy, clocking 3:59.86at the New Balance Track and Field Center at the Armory. NYRR’s Ian Brooksannounces the race, and NYRR president and CEO Allan Steinfeld and vicepresident and COO Mary Wittenberg congratulate him at the finish line. (In 2007,Webb became the American record-holder in the mile.)

Cal

Fat

Sat

Chl

Sod

Crb

Fib

Sug

Pro

Breakfast

2

cup (8 fl oz)

Coffee, brewed from grounds, prepared with tap water

5

0

0

0

9

0

0

0

1

1

1 bagel

Thomas Mini Bagels - Strawberry

140

1

0

0

220

27

1

6

4

2

1 bagel

Thomas Light Mini-Bagels

200

1

0

0

460

44

8

2

8

0.3

cup

Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A (fat free or skim)

25

0

0

1

31

4

0

4

2

1

28g 1 oz

Kraft® - Philadelphia Cream Cheese - Original

100

10

1

30

90

1

0

1

2

1

1 tbsp

Olivio Butter Spread

80

8

2

0

95

0

0

0

0

0.25

Serving - 60 ML

LOG CABIN - SYRUP - SUGAR FREE LOW CALORIE 12 OZ PLASTIC BOTTLE

9

0

0

0

25

3

0

0

0

2

Serving - 20 G

SMUCKER'S - JAM - STRAWBERRY 48 OZ PLASTIC JAR

100

0

0

0

0

26

0

24

0

0.5

2 waffles 70g

Eggo® - Buttermilk Waffles - frozen

95

4

1

10

210

14

1

1

3

754

24

4

41

1140

119

10

38

20

Lunch

1

cup

Grapefruit juice, white, canned, unsweetened

94

0

0

0

2

22

0

22

1

1

Serving - 15 ML

KIKKOMAN - SOY SAUCE - ALL-PURPOSE SEASONING 5 OZ GLASS BOTTLE

10

0

0

0

920

0

0

0

2

0.5

1 Whole Breast`

Whole Chicken Breast

142

3

1

73

64

0

0

0

27

0.75

cup

Rice, white, medium-grain, cooked

181

0

0

0

0

40

0

0

3

427

3

1

73

986

62

0

22

33

Dinner

0.33

cup, chopped

Peppers, sweet, green, raw

10

0

0

0

1

2

1

1

0

3

1 serving/28 g

Cape Cod Reduced Fat Potato Chips

390

18

5

0

330

54

3

0

6

2.5

12oz. bottle

Beck's Premier Light Beer

160

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2.5

link 3 oz

Sausage, Italian, sweet, links

313

18

7

63

1197

4

0

0

34

0.25

cup chopped

Onions, yellow, sauteed

29

2

0

0

3

2

0

0

0

902

38

12

63

1531

62

4

1

40

Snack

1

serving

NABISCO, NABISCO RITZ Crackers

79

4

1

0

124

10

0

1

1

1

2 oz 56g

Russer® - Fat-Free Smoked Virginia Ham

48

0

0

25

550

3

0

3

9

1

1 Cone

Skinny Cow Low Fat Ice Cream Cone - Vanilla with Caramel

150

3

2

4

85

29

3

19

4

277

7

3

29

759

42

3

23

14

Water Tracker

Totals

Target

Balance

2360

1946

121

414

72

65

111

7

20

20

100

0

206

300

69

94

4416

2400

184

2016

285

300

95

15

17

25

68

8

84

50

168

34

107

50

214

57

Cal

Fat

Sat

Chl

Sod

Crb

Fib

Sug

Pro

Activity

Totals

0

Boy, I really fell off the wagon today didn't I? I new this was going to happen. My goal for the weekend was not to lose, but not to gain either. On Friday, I weighed 160.4, then Saturday morning I went down a pound to 159.4. This morning I hit the scales at an even 159. Let's see if my overage on calories without exercise, has completely derailed me. I pray not.

oh, and there is the matter about this check that I am owed for winning the bet from Florida.....Don't even think about doing double-or-nothing for the SuperBowl. The Pats are probably going to win it all anyway...Check Puhleeze!

Saturday, January 19, 2008

First of all, I've changed the music. The brood mood is over. Time for ahigh-powered electro-allegro classic from 1984! Remember that year?

I am happy to report the loss of another pound of flesh this morning.

YESTERDAY'S WEIGH-IN.............160.4WEIGH-IN @ 7 A.M....................159.4NET GAIN/LOSS..........................-1.0 I now weigh 159.4. This is the first time since November 7, where I weigh less than 160 pounds. Considering that my children are here, I am happy that I've been able to stave off eating extra.

Today was a fun day with the kids. I invented the Wide World Series of Games Competition. It consists of 1 game of Sorry, 2 games of Wheel Of Fortune, 4 games of Bingo, and 3 games of Uno.Ileana won at Sorry, not even knowing what she was doing! But then I won both games of "Wheel of Fortune". Stephanie won the first game of Bingo, but Matthew responded by winning the next two games. Stephanie won the last Bingo match. Suddenly, all of us (but Ileana) had 2 wins. The first game of Uno went to Stephanie, which put Ileana on the brink of elimination. Ileana then won the second game of Uno, and now the pressure was back on Stephanie. If she wins the next and final game, she'd be the champ, but if anyone else won that would force a sudden death, elimination game. And that's exactly what happened. Ileana won the 10th and final game forcing a game of "five dice", a winner take all throw of five dice. Who ever had the highest roll wins. Stephanie rolled first. 23. Then Ileana rolled. 6 + 6 + 3 + 5 + 6. 26. Ileana was dubbed the first Wide World Series of Games Champion. Her gifts include sleeping with the stuffed puppy dog tonight, and choosing what she wants for breakfast tomorrow.

Hey! This is a blog about running right? Well, it's Blogrunner Time!Actually.....It's DEATH TIME!

Noise!Crime!Traffic!Pollution!The Cold!Headwinds!Bad Smells!Abandoned Areas!Having to stop at red lights!Drivers w/ Suspended Licenses!The Insane Incline of the Queensboro Bridge!Cabbies with more than 15 letters in their last names and barely any vowels!

This is my Queens Boulevard. The Boulevard of Death.

The last time I ran this scintillatingly challenging run was on July 4th, 2006.It was part of an even longer run. To Hell And Back. That was the course name.The turnaround point was The JP Morgan Chase Building on Park Avenue nearthe Met Life building.

There was a little bit of headwind today. The temperature was 34 degrees but the "real-feel" as the local meteoroligists say, was only 26. Still, I wasn't cold.I had three layers of sweat-wicking hi-tech fabric on including a nice windbreaker.I had a polyprolene hat, and Nike HiTech gloves. I was, in a word, "ready".

I started slow, and remained that way. I didn't have the "killer" instinct in me today, but I was determined to do my mileage. As I approached the pedestrian entrance to the Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge, there was, uncannily, a little coffee shop, that seemed like it had been around since the times from when I used to run over this unforgiving steel structure in my heyday. It was called the "Mary Coffee Shop". Funny thing though....no one spoke any English. Thank God I know Spanish. Anyway, I stopped in there for a minute to get a sugarfree Red Bull. At only 10 calories, it gave me the "pep" I needed to get my "attack" going.

As I do my uphill battle, I noticed on the walkway beneath, a spray painting of a website, www.anti-psychiatry.com. I just checked it out. The domain had been suspended. Odd. Definitely looks like the opposite meaning of the sign that I see on the East Bound side of the Tappan Zee bridge that I use to come back after I drop my kids home. That sign reads, "Life Is Worth Living", which is followed by a toll free number and a telephone below, to prevent would-be jumpers from doing the unthinkable.

It felt great to make it into Manhattan today. The pedestrian ramp leads me past the Gentlemen's Club, Scores, and out to 60th street and 1st Avenue. Queens Boulevard has lots of these clubs along the run, Wiggles, Goldfingers and Gallagher's, just to name a few.

1st Avenue north reminded me instantly of my previous NYC Marathons. It is such a good feeling to reminisce about that too. One of the reasons why I like to do the Boulevard Of Death run is just because of that reason; the reminiscing part. When I was 18 years old, this was my "main drag", my "racetrack", and my "stomping grounds". I ran this Boulevard at night, during snowstorms, and heatwaves. All with the same gratifying result: Entry into the greatest city on Earth. Sorry Dad.

But now there are new memories too. As I pass the Pan American Building, I think of Ileana and her dancing during the days when she and I were just casually seeing each other. Then there's the Entenmann's Factory Outlet. Mmmmm, the donuts. This too, is a place where Ileana goes to get food. And it's a MAJOR source of derailment to my diet. Thank God, she's been good of late. As I pass White Castle in Sunnyside, I think of my father, naturally. That was my Dad's FIRST job in NEW YORK back in 1961.

It all ended for pop, when he dumped a cup of hot coffee on a customer who was sitting down at a table, because the customer had pinched his co-workers ass. It must have been a nice ass. Whoops. I digressed. Anyway, the customer chased him all over the store, my father hid in a cool shed (large industrial refridgerators found in fast food restaurant) and finally the guy left. He either quit after that, or after the "black pepper loading" incident. Not quite sure.

The train station at 63rd Street and Lex had no Queensbound "F" train service. I had to go south to Rockefeller Center, and switch track sides. Once on board, it was then I was actually cold. Perhaps it was the front cover of the AM New York newspaper that I scooped up right before heading some 200 feet below to the platform (63rd street & Lex is the DEEPEST of allsubway stations in the world).

Giants versus Packers. Yes it will be cold. Game time temperature (excl. wind chill) will be 4 degrees. OUCH.What do I think about the game?

In My Heart: Go Giants.In My Head: The Packers are much too much for the Giants.Prediction: Packers 27, Giants 20. Each team will have 2 field goals, the Giants will have 1 passing touchdown, and 1 rushing touchdown. The Packers will have no rushing touchdowns, but will pass into the end zone for scores 3 times.

Either way, the game should be better now that I know how to drink responsibly.A friend of mine, who has been supportive of my goals all along had suggested a light beer, which, as it turns out, is only 64 calories per bottle. This is great! I bought a six pack and will be having a nice time tomorrow. Thanks!There is a website called:http://www.ratebeer.com/I will be using this site to rate my beer after the game is over.

Going home, I actually got off a few stops early. Continental & 71st Street, in Forest Hills. From there, I proceeded to run another 1.5 miles to my home. In total, 10.5 miles for today, and 41.1 miles for the week. Here's the statiscal summary of my long run:

Mr. Smith: You want to know the difference between this BMW and a porcupine?DQ: I give up.Mr. Smith: With the car, the prick's on the inside.

If the rest of the movie was this witty, I'd have given it a 10. However, it was a stupid movie, with a lot of action. Someone mentioned this was the best "gun porn" movie of all time. Perhaps. The violence and action intensity was ridiculous. I think the movie could have been called "5,000 bullets" instead. Maybe more bullets than that even. The movie was unreal. And even within its unreality based dark comic theme, it was too stupid to believe it-perhaps that was the intention of the director. Funny. As for the acting, Clive Owen has definitely gone down a notch, but Paul Giamatti can do no wrong. However, he too has diminishing returns. His talents are wasted here. This is definitely a guy movie. DO NOT SHOW THIS MOVIE TO WOMEN. THEY WILL NOT UNDERSTAND! Capiche?

My final review? : 5 out of 10 Gonzos.

I LOVED the line about the "prick", though. LOL.

Finally, it's time for, Where I Am (Virtually) In America Today

I have entered Pennsylvania!

I'm in the area of Easton & Bethlehem!

Taken directly from Wikipedia:

Northampton County's location in PennsylvaniaEaston'slocation in Northampton CountyCoordinates: 40°41′18″N 75°12′59″W﻿ /﻿40.68833, -75.21639Country United StatesState PennsylvaniaCountyNorthamptonGovernment- Mayor Sal PantoArea- Total 4.7 sq mi(12.0 km²)- Land 4.3 sq mi (11.0 km²)- Water 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km²)Elevation 211 ft (64 m)Population (2000)- Total 26,263- Density 6,165/sq mi (2,380.3/km²)- Time zone EST (UTC-5)- Summer (DST)EDT (UTC-4)Website: http://www.easton-pa.comEaston is a city in Northampton County, in the eastern region of Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 26,263 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Northampton CountyGR6.Along with Allentown and Bethlehem, Easton is one of three primarycities that comprise the Lehigh Valley region, the state's third most populousmetropolitan area. Easton is the easternmost city of the Lehigh Valley, sittingon the confluence of the Delaware River (which divides Pennsylvania and NewJersey) and the Lehigh River, for which the Lehigh Valley is named. Easton isthe smallest of the three Lehigh Valley cities, with approximately one-fourth ofthe population of the largest Lehigh Valley city, Allentown.Easton is almost equidistant from Philadelphia, which is 60 miles(100 km) to the south, and New York City, which is 70 miles (110 km) to theeast.Air transport to and from Easton is available through Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is located approximately 20 miles west of the city, in Hanover Township.The following picture above is of the now abanadoned BethlehemSteel Factory. Another good American company that somehow is probably in thehands of another country now.....The city is split up into four primary sections: Historic Downtown, which lies directly to the north of the Lehigh River, to the west of the Delaware River, continuing west to Sixth Street; The West Ward, which lies between Sixth and Fifteenth Streets; The South Side, which lies south of the Lehigh River; and College Hill, a neighborhood onthe hills to the north; home of Lafayette College. The boroughs of Wilson, WestEaston, and Glendon are also directly adjacent to the city; the first andlargest of which, Wilson, partially aligns in the same North-South Grid as thecity of Easton. The greater Easton area consists of the city itself, threetownships (Forks, Palmer, and Williams) and three boroughs (Glendon, WestEaston, and Wilson).

Friday, January 18, 2008

This day in New York Road Runner's Club History:January 18, 1987Cindy Girard wins the NYRR Frostbite 10-Mile in Central Park in 57:09. Girard is named the 1987 Big Apple Runner of the Year (an award now known as the NYRR Fred Lebow Runner of the Year and presented annually at NYRR Club Night).

I don't think I'll be running the Brooklyn Half Marathon this year. It's only 1 week before the Long Island Marathon, and I need to taper the last 3 weeks. Also, I typically don't do any races after the New York Marathon, but every year that "Hot Chocolate" race tempts me more and more.

I've already run 30 miles this week. I have the kids this week, so that will complicate matters both on the running and eating fronts. This will be my first big test: Seeing them eat hot dogs, for example, while I nosh on vegetables. Worse yet will be Sunday night. A man's head is hardwired to eat chicken wings, burgers and drink beer while watching a football game. Watching the Giants take on the Packers will definitely trigger temptations. That will be test #2.

My goal therefore is to get on the scale Monday morning (01/21) and weigh the same I did this morning.

Race Picture:

January 12, 2008 - Fred Lebow Classic 5M in Central Park

My hair looks a big worn out, doesn't it?

When I ran this race I weighed 165.

But I did well. My last mile was done in 7:13 !

My next race is the Bronx Half Marathon. That's February 9th. Imagine if we had a snowstorm that day? That would be cool!

I still remember how good the Hot Chocolate was from that day. LOL. That and the 2 bagels I ate after my run. Mmmmmm Bagels. I miss that.

Speaking of snow storms, it appears as if I'm going to be flying in the middle of a blizzard next week. And again, I say....Nothing Like Flying To Cleveland In January.

Originally, I was supposed to have gone both weeks, this week and next. But the business changed the mind and felt everything can be done in one weekend. Had they picked this weekend, everything would have been okay.

Okay....I already caved. Chipotle's has rung my bell. I've done well in not answering that door for nearly 2 weeks. But EVERYONE around me ordered it today, and I did not have my lunch with me, and I am HUNGRY.

I did eliminate the Chips and the Sour Cream. That alone saved me 600 calories.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Having to get to work early for an important meeting with the CIO, he runs tothe bathroom. He is excited because he thinks he may have lost a considerable amount of weight. He gets on the scale. And this is what happens....

From Denying Self:"How can this be? I ran 3 miles yesterday afternoon!"

Realistic: "Perhaps. But you also ate a salami sandwich last night about an hour before going to bed too!"

Denying: "Did I mention the 5 miles?"

I knew this was going to happen. I did lose weight, but, and AGAIN, it was only .2 of a pound. Forget about what I said earlier in the week. All that nonsense about how it's easy to lose weight when I'm above 160 and all that other yada-yada? This shit's tough!

With 71.6 miles in the books, I am now in Bloomsbury, NJ. There are nice falls in this area, but the run alongside Interstate 78 is a bit hazardous.

6 more exits along this wilderbeast of a highway, and I'll be in Pennsylvania...

Bloomsbury has a railroad and turnpike heritage, an iron-truss bridge and the general look of having been carefully preserved. By the time you get to Finesville ­ near the obligatory gristmill and also featuring an iron-truss bridge ­ the air of preservation is particularly thick. The village is tiny, and it has several substantial stone houses built close together. Get there early on a misty morning, before people are up and about, and you can't help expecting elves to emerge from the houses and trolls from under the bridge.

Who Is The Machine?

I Am...Life.
I Am...Survivor.
I Am...Thriving.
I Am...Focused..
I Am...Directed.
I Am...Destined.
I Am...Determined.
I Am...Relentless.
I Am...Running.
I Am...Coming After It.
I Am...Coming After You.
I Am...Destroyer.
I Am...Creator.
I Am...Tempest.
I Am...Triumph.
I Am...Unbreakable.
I Am...Epic.
I Am...Machine.